It well known to secure a boat to a dock by means of ropes and rubber fenders. However, the variation in water level at the dock at the result of the tide will often place undue stresses on the boat and/or the dock and damage can result.
In response to the foregoing, various systems have been devised in order to attempt to solve this problem. For example, Daskalides U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,628 discloses one such boat docking system wherein a tubular housing defines a cavity and is mounted to the mooring post. The tubular housing includes an elongate slot that extends along substantially the entire length of the housing. A series of three tubes are adapted to slide up and down within the cavity. The first tube mounts a ring to which the boat is connected that projects through the front wall slot and beyond the housing front wall for receiving the mooring line. A second tube is provided and is adapted to be cut to a length equal to the distance between the boat's water line to the height of the cleat. The third tube is the floatation tube and is mounted below the second tube. The ring is raised and lowered with the tide. The tubes are threaded to receive a rod that holds the entire assembly together.
A similar device is disclosed in Jarnot U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,016 wherein an elongate tubular cylindrical member is mounted against the outer surface of the vertical pier of a dock. The tubular member is mounted to the pier so that it extends above and below the surface of the water and includes an elongate longitudinal guide slot extending along it's length. An elongate cylindrical float is positioned within the cylindrical member and has a solid bottom. An elongate L-shaped rod is positioned within the float so that one end is connected to the bottom of the float and the other end which mounts the mooring bolt extends upward and through the top of the float and out through the slot. The foregoing docking systems have not been widely adopted due to a number of drawbacks and deficiencies inherent in their design. For example, upon examination of the patents, it becomes clear that the lower portion of the housing or tube is mounted beneath the water or the apparatus that moves therein is at least partially submerged. The foregoing permits barnacles, sea weed and other marine life to grow thereon which results in a clogging of the channel in which the tubes travel and if left unattended for only a relatively short period of time, will result in an inoperable device which is frozen in place, thus causing damage to the boat and/or the dock.
Another boat mooring device has been proposed in Ilves et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,638 wherein a vertically mounted slider device is mounted to a dock post, a fixed mount member is mounted on the boat and a connecting unit extends therebetween. The slider device comprises a circular rod that is connected to the mooring post. A collar is adapted to slide up and down on the rod. A flange member is connected to the collar and mounts both a float apparatus that raises and lowers the level of the collar with the water level and the connecting unit. The boat mounts a ball such as is used in connection with pulling a trailer. The connecting unit is a complex device that automatically adjusts its length after it has been put in place between the boat and the dock. This device has also not found wide acceptance in the marketplace, probably due to relatively high cost, complexity and the need for the boat to be outfitted with nonstandard hardware having utility only with this type of docking system.
It is, therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved boat mooring system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved boat mooring system which solves the aforementioned problems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved boat mooring system which is inexpensive, easy to install and reliable.
It still another object of the present invention to provide an improved boat mooring system that may be used to moor any boat using only standard equipment as found on boats.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved boat mooring system that is substantially maintenance free.